[Simon Crouch]
The largest study of its kind has found that children with parents in same sex relationships generally fare better than peers with parents in ‘traditional’ relationships.
Newstalk Lunchtime’s John Keogh spoke to the lead researcher behind the study, Simon Crouch yesterday.
John Keogh: “…The study, undertaken by the University of Melbourne researchers among 315 same sex couples and 500 children found that children in same sex parent families had higher scores on measures of general behaviour, general health and family cohesion compared to population normative data. Simon Crouch is the lead researcher on that study simon he main findings what are the main findings of your research?”
Simon Crouch: “So, this study has been going on for three years and is based on research which has been conducted around the world often with much smaller sample sizes and that research has generally suggested that children of same sex attracted parents do pretty much the same as kids from other backgrounds and the previous research has indicated in some situates they do better so it wasn’t much of a surprise to find similar results in this work although it was a much larger study.”
Keogh: “Were there any benefits then for children who were of same sex couples?”
Crouch: “What we found was that children of same sex attracted parents tend to store a little bit better in two key areas, one was general health which is a measure of overall health, the other really interesting one was in family cohesion which is a measure of how families get along and how this impacts on child health, so there were two key areas where kids were doing better.”
Keogh: “What about this business of the parents in same sex couples don’t default to gender stereotypes, was that a big issue?”
Crouch: “Having found this result about how kids get along and also finding out that in some areas they were doing better we had to think why this would be and previous research had found that same sex couples and same sex families do distribute their roles within the work place at home slightly more equitably than heterosexual couples, instead of doing it along gender line with the mother staying theme and raising the kids and father going out and earning money they tend to do it based on skill sets, and what this does, it leads o greater harmony within the household and then in better health for the children.”
Keogh: “And in general health terms they seem to do better also.”
Crouch: “That’s another one where they seem to be doing better I think this is linked to the family cohesion measure and how these families are getting along but although compared to the general population they are doing well it was really interesting to find that within group itself there was an issue of stigma and two-thirds of families were experiencing stigma .”
Keogh: “Just tell us a little bit more about that what type of stigma reaction children were feeling.”
Crouch: “So there’s the obvious general stigma that children of same sex couple same sex parents receive, which might be bullying in the playground, but here in Australia we’ve got ongoing debates on marriage equality its not yet being legalised and often politicians stand up in parliament and make very negative comments about same-sex families, one M.P. recently compared same-sex couples and same-sex families to bestiality, and for children of same-sex families hearing these sort of comments about themselves an be really quite demoralising and have an impact on emotional and mental wellbeing.”
Keogh: “So really it’s not just political will but what the topic of conversation is on the day. If this issue wasn’t big in the news then supposedly the stigma wouldn’t be as big?”
Crouch: “It would be slightly less but there are even more subtle variations of stigma which occur in society, for example schools ending letters home to parent addressed to to Mr and Mrs. It might seem quite a minor thing but it will put parents on the wrong foot at the beginning of the day and bring a little distress and tension into the household so it can be very subtle things as well as those obvious and direct things.”
Keogh: “I suppose you could also say that children of same-sex couples, as this becomes more and more common as we’ve seen not just in this country but elsewhere, as that becomes more the norm the stigma tends to fade away.”
Crouch: “It does to a large part to many aspects and in many areas but there are always aspects to society, I mean people in society who will struggle to accept same-sex families, and they tend to be given quite a loud voice though they are a small minority and I think this will persist for some time yet.”
Keogh: “We are in this country, Simon, going to have a referendum on marriage equality before this time next year the issue of parenting has already emerged as a key issue and no doubt will form part of a major debate in the run-in to this referendum. would you think that the findings of your study will help to form part of the debate in this country?”
Crouch: “I think they’re gong to be useful for a part of the debate there are differing opinion as to whether or not marriage is necessary to have children or whether children play an important mar in marriage but its definitely an argument used, particularly by those people who are against marriage equality who say marriage is for raising children, you need a biological mother and a biological father do do that so you shouldn’t allow same-sex marriage, so I think you can go and use these results to counter that argument somewhat and say actually same sex couples are raising children and doing a really good job of it, so that can’t be used as a reason to preclude marriage equality.”
Listen here (starts at 10.54)
“The largest study of its kind has found that children with parents in same sex relationships generally fare better than peers with parents in same sex relationships.”
Huh?
Sorry Atticus, fixed now. Thank you.
I knew those “mixed” parenting structures were bad for children. I just knew it.
Should be banned the lot of them.
Anyone know a gay couple that’d raise my two for me? Increase their happiness quotient a bit?
what age are the kids?
Looking forward to Breda O’Brien, John Waters and Mullen’s response to this.
They will of course ignore it as it doesn’t fit into their religiously led unscientific religious mumbo jumbo. They will still talk vaguely about “studies” to try and justify why they don’t want gay people to have the same rights as they do.
What this guy said.
Hmmm… comparing to population normative data is meaningless unless they compared with similar socio-economic groups. (I’ve no agenda either way, just don’t like findings based on suspect data).
Fupp it, any same sex or non-same sex couples (I don’t discriminate!) want to borrow my demons for a while. One will wind you around her little finger until you have no thought or will to call your own and the other one with do that too as well as eat you out of house and home.
Any takers?
Seriously! f-ing! though! Being a parent is damm hard at times without setting different “parenting units” up in competition with one another. Believe me, we can do that for ourselves without studies doing it for us and identifying “X” as the best family set up for a child is bound to cause resentment and retaliation.
I belive gay men and women are good, well-intentioned loving parents. I belive single mother and single fathers are are good, well-intentioned loving parents. Even I and my wife are trying our hardest even though I would let Satan babysit for a lie-in some weekends.
We are all just doing our best. However that does not stop us being judged and looked at and talked about behind the pointing crocked hand and daggered whispers. Ever breastfed in a public place outside Dublin? Ever has an authistic child throw a wobbler in Clearys? Ever not notice your 4 year old has fallen off a swing in a pack as you turned your eyes somewhere else for 2 mins to pack the picnic away? We ALL experience stigmas and the associated stares, gay parents do not have exclusive rights on this.
I am sorry that gay parents get letter addressed to ‘Mr and Mrs’ but do you know that in Ireland, your partner has to co-sign for a child’s passport so if the two of you are going through a bitter breakup, they can withhold that signature out of spite? I am NOT saying that my butthurt is bigger than yours, I am saying we ALL have our battles to fight and we should fight them together under that glorious banner of parenthood. Not set ourselves apart in little camps (!) claming my parenting is better than your parenting.
Exactly Casey! we just wanted to be treated the same as you guys. No better no worse.
But we need to ask for your permission first, that’s what the referendum is for. Is it ok with you if my husband and I have a family?
was that article put through voice recognition software as there are a lot of mistakes in it?
That would be the lack of sleep due to the aforementioned 4yr old.
IONA used a faulty study of 100 people to claim that children of same sex marriage were 20 times more likely to be abused. Shameless feckers.
Did the study discount for the reality that homosexual behaviour is largely a Western phenomenon, indulged in by people who can afford to engage in such a decadent lifestyle? Did these “same sex” parents have access to simulated mothers (i.e. nannies)? Poorer people have more pressing issues to be worrying about (such as putting food on the table, planning for their retirement, etc.) than to be worrying where their next sniff is going to come from.
#troll_alert
sadly, just an insight of who ABM blames for all his “problems”. Poor pathetic little rock insect.
The only people I see pointing the “blame” finger are those on the pro-gay side who continually whine about the evil catholic church. Instead of turning the other cheek, going off and seeking eternal happiness content in their own company; they blame their innate despair on the teachings of a church that they desperately wish they could ignore – many men down through the ages have similarly tried to drown out the truth. They don’t like to reminded that one day they will be judged and shy away from this reality by surrounding themselves in decadence. It’s no wonder there are so many on them are depressed, when they treat their lives as an exercise in maximising pleasure using whatever self-gratutious, greedy and selfish means available to them.
Ah here, you’re lovely!
Hmmmm, masturbatory fun!!!!!
abm, your kids wear coloured football boots, your missis does yoga and you have lots of dana records.
Wow. I didn’t think time travel from the 16th century was possible, but it’s good for a laugh. Why should pro-gay people turn the other cheek? I thought that was a Christian thing?
Matthew 7:1-3King James Version (KJV)
7 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
All the best now.
Nine out of ten cats prefer Whiskers. Propaganda. I know I’ll be hated by lefty beardy hipsters for saying this.
Another effing survey trying to prove what? That we’d all be better off gay? That heterosexual parents should be ashamed? FFS what is the point of this? And since when can two daddies breastfeed? Two ovaries or two spermies do not a baby make. Be gay, whatever, do what you must but stop this nonsense.
I had a mom and a dad and was not breastfed. what’s your point?
Sad for you. What’s your point
“Did the study discount for the reality that homosexual behaviour is largely a Western phenomenon, indulged in by people who can afford to engage in such a decadent lifestyle?”
FALSE on so many levels but sticking to your main point that it is a “western phenomenon”, then why is there so much of a problem in say… Russia? It is only ‘western’ a few years. Then take a look at the persecution in say… most middle eastern countries and that’ll tell you why there are fewer who are ‘out’.
“Did these “same sex” parents have access to simulated mothers (i.e. nannies)? Poorer people have more pressing issues to be worrying about (such as putting food on the table, planning for their retirement, etc.) than to be worrying where their next sniff is going to come from.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… so, you are basically saying that poor people aren’t gay because they cannot afford a nanny. Holy sweet sufferin’ Jehovah, you’re some gobshite for just one gobshite.
“homosexual behaviour is largely a Western phenomenon”
So you’re saying there are no gay Asians, Arabs, or Africans?
And of the 1,500 non-human species of animal who engage in homosexual acts, they only live in Europe and the US.
If said animals participated in ass sniffing to the same extent of decadent Western societies, evolution would have taken care of things long ago.
It’s an extremely rare phenomenon that occurs for numerous scientific reasons. Homosexual behaviour among humans (especially in rich societies) is not extremely rare, but very prevalent; and occurs for reasons that are very far removed from the rare interactions of the 1,500 species that you cite.
Finally, you should know that appealing to the behaviour animals in the animal kingdom in an effort to excuse the human behaviour falls flat on its face very quickly. For example, incestuous interactions are way more prevalent than homosexual interactions. Maybe one day, when we reach Utopia, technology will facilitate incestuous sexual encounters? Wouldn’t that be great now.
“aIf said animals participated in ass sniffing to the same extent of decadent Western societies, evolution would have taken care of things long ago.”?
Have you ever seen a dog? I’m pretty sure they engage in a lot more “ass sniffing” than most humans . Not to mention that sexual predilictions based on the buttocks are generally common in heterosexuals and homosexuals.
I’d love to see some citations for homosexuality in the animal kingdom being a rare thing – particularly ones that haven’t been rendered outdated. In fact, biologists generally acknowledge that homosexual and bisexual acts are actually more common amongst animals than they are humans.
As always, Wiki is a good place to start
So, having attempted to pretend you know what you’re talking about by attempting to hood-wink readers into believing that the behaviour of animals in the animal kingdom is a rational basis for the behaviour of humans in civilised society; you then go on to further your assertions using the example of some dog you’ve seen and some unspecified group of biologists. When you’ve come up with something that hasn’t been deliberated over (countless times), do get back to us.
I don’t think you actually read my post.
Miroslav Klose.
good to hear of some proper research at last to counter the vague “studies have shown” statements from Mullen et al. This is such a non-issue in the context of granting marriage equality anyway given there are hardly any children out there for anyone to adopt regardless of your orientation. and the state of the two utter eejits above. I refuse to feed him by replying directly. “homosexual behaviour” occurs in every culture, animal and human it is just more visible in the west because western societies tend to be more tolerant (you two excepted). maybe he is right and we should ban poor people from raising children, sure why don’t we sterilise them all, I think they tried that in Germany in the 30s. not sure how it worked out for them, must check wikipedia. as for men not having boobies to breastfeed, way to miss the point bro.
Youse should bookmark this page for future reference.
http://www.achess.org.au/
so this “research” reveals that its better for children to have two “fathers” than to have a mother ? I really wouldn’t promote this for fear of alienating a lot of people.
Thanks for your concern, citizen. Immediate steps will be taken to suppress the apparent truth. Facts are all very well, but when you go around upsetting people, that’s when you have to call a halt. Thankfully sense will prevail.